UPDATE: After the story below was published, the event was cancelled due to expected winter weather there is no information yet on whether the event will be rescheduled.
Candidates running for the Columbia School Board plan to answer questions about special education at a public forum Tuesday evening.
The forum, run by the Columbia chapter of the Special Education Parent Teacher Association, will focus on the concerns of special needs students, teachers and parents.
“It’s more education,” SEPTA President Michelle Ribaudo said. “Because if you’re not in a school with special education, you don’t understand some of the issues that the parents are going through, and some of the teachers.”
Candidates Della Streaty-Willhoit and Blake Willoughby will both attend the forum. Candidate Jay Atkins will not be in attendance, but will provide answers to the same questions.
SEPTA Treasurer Tara Arnett said Columbia is generally a good place for special education students, but it could still use some improvement.
“One of my concerns, and other parents’ concerns, is inclusion,” she said. “I think one of the questions that will be asked is whether the candidates support hiring an individual like an inclusion specialist.”
Arnett said her son, who has autism, is in a specialized classroom for students with similar needs.
“For some of us, it’s really important that our students can get included within the regular education settings when able to, within the school buildings, so they can create friendships and advocates and life experiences amongst regular education peers,” Arnett said.